SEPTEMBER 2023

Putting Aside ‘Common Sense’ and Focusing on What Works

All too often, initiatives that are intended to improve road safety are invested in because they sound like a good idea or are based on ‘common sense’. These approaches do not have an evidential basis and are merely someone’s ‘good idea’. This approach is often unwise.  

There are multiple examples of approaches that have been consistently shown not to work in reducing road trauma and yet they persist. One area of particular concern relates to calls to improve post-license driving skills, with the claim that drivers who are better trained will be safer and crash less often. This is simply not the case, and a strong body of evidence has repeatedly shown that these programmes are ineffective. In some cases, they can even make drivers who undergo them less safe. 

In 2021, the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) of the World Bank produced a comprehensive Guide for Road Safety Interventions: Evidence of What Works and What Does Not Work. A range of road safety-related initiatives were reviewed under the ‘Safe System’ methodology and their impact assessed. 

With respect to post-license driver and rider education and training, these were the findings: 

Once drivers and riders have received their licenses (preferably through a robust system as outlined above) there are often demands to build on the basic skills obtained through various types of education and training. Despite faith in this post-license education and training, general passenger car driver training is proven repeatedly to be ineffective, or even harmful, for road safety. The highly credible Cochrane Library has published rigorous reviews of the evidence which have shown no safety benefits of driver training. The review of post-license driver training evaluations concluded that there is: “…. no evidence that post-license driver education is effective in preventing road traffic injuries or crashes. …. Because of the large number of participants included in the meta-analysis (close to 300,000 for some outcomes) we can exclude, with reasonable precision, the possibility of even modest benefits.” More recent reviews have demonstrated increases in crash rates from vehicle handling skills-based training such as skid training. Although this result might seem counter-intuitive, the simplest way to understand this is that any benefits that might arise through training are greatly out-weighed by the over-confidence imparted in those involved in these courses. The analysis of the evidence also found that: “No one form of education … was found to be substantially more effective than another, nor was a significant difference found between advanced driver education and remedial driver education.

We are now nearing the end of year four of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety with the goal of halving global deaths and injuries by 2030. To achieve that goal, our road safety investments will need to be made in initiatives that have been proven to be effective. Wasting energy and resources on activities such as those described by the Global Road Safety Facility of the World Bank as ineffective are irresponsible. 

Let’s all focus our investment, time and passion in the road safety interventions that we know will work. 

Dave Cliff ONZM MStJ
Chief Executive Officer

Dr Britta Lang on Joining the GRSP

Taking on the management of the Global Road Safety Partnership’s (GRSP) part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) in July put a round peg in a round hole for me.  

As a traffic psychologist, I have been privileged to work on various transportation challenges throughout my career. Applying the Safe System approach to target behavioural risk factors such as speed or drink driving in low- and middle-income countries, to reduce road deaths and injuries, is exactly where I want to spend my professional future. 

The start of this journey begins at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. As a hosted programme, GRSP utilizes the IFRC’s facilities and processes and embraces the same humanitarian ethos; nonetheless, it has its own governance structure in place. This allows for flexibility within a strong and well-recognized institutional framework.  

The BIGRS programme’s activities are extensive. In 2022, the Road Policing Capacity Building programme operated in 14 cities, the Advocacy and Grants programme was implemented in 20 countries, and over 100 participants from more than 20 countries attended the the Global Road Safety Leadership Course. I bought a large world map and hung it up at home in response. 

My early weeks on the job are filled with online meetings to get to know the GRSP teams and GRSP partners involved in the BIGRS programme delivery. I want to understand our budgets, outputs, timetables and donor reporting requirements. Moreover, I marveled at the process of how quickly abbreviations start to look familiar until you no longer realize you have started using them yourself.  

The next step is to start travelling to meet colleagues and partners face-to-face, observe and learn from the work on the ground. What I already understand is that each city and country has its unique requirements and is at a different stage of its road safety journey. While the programme’s objectives and tools are standardized, there cannot be a cookie cutter approach to implementing them. It all stands and falls with building relationships and supporting the government and non-government agencies involved in the policy shaping process.   

As for the future? Ask me again in three months. I think I will have ideas. 

Britta Lang
Senior Manager, Global Road Safety Programmes 

GRSP Holds Speed Enforcement and Crash Investigation Workshops in Viet Nam

Our Road Policing Capacity Building team members delivered capacity building training workshops to traffic police in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in June 2023. The training—which focused on speed enforcement and crash investigation—was jointly conducted with the Global Road Safety Partnership’s Viet Nam training partner, The People’s Police Academy (PPA), and was attended by 130 police officers.   

As part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) programme, the workshops shared best practice knowledge and practice related to the role that speed enforcement plays in reducing road trauma, as well as the safe and practical application of enforcement in the local context.    

Additionally, officers were able to learn techniques to assist them in the investigation of causative factors in road crashes, which helps traffic police to then understand possible mitigation strategies to aid in reducing resulting trauma from collisions.  

This exchange of information and learning is ongoing with further training scheduled in October 2023 in both Hanoi and HCMC, in addition to the start of similar road safety training for road policing specialists commencing in Da Nang later in the year. 

Our Road Policing Team Conducts Speed Enforcement Training in Kenya

In July 2023, the Global Road Safety Partnership’s (GRSP) Road Policing Capacity Building team headed over to Mombasa, Kenya, where they held a speed enforcement training with a focus on the Safe System approach. The training was attended by 43 officers from the Mombasa County Inspectorate and National Transport Safety Agency. 

The concept of speeding as a major risk factor was thoroughly explored, as well as the process of capturing and using accurate data to develop evidence-based interventions. The use of speed measurement technology and safety measures during roadside checkpoints were included in the training as well. 

Introducing the New Face of YOURS – Raquel Barrios

Youth is at the forefront of development, change and action. Their participation in road safety programmes at local, national and international levels is in a constant state of growth. The Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) organization has been a cornerstone in the integration of younger generations within road safety efforts. It has reached significant milestones over the years, with the launch of the much celebrated YOURS Academy being one of their recent successes.  

On 1 June 2023, Raquel Barrios was appointed YOURS’ Executive Director after its founder, Floor Lieshout, stepped down from the role. She holds a Master in Social Business Administration and Entrepreneurship and has been working on youth-related projects for over a decade.  

Her journey with YOURS started in 2019 as a Project Manager to support the creation and development of the Second World Youth Assembly for Road Safety. Through her dedication and professionalism, her responsibilities in the organization continuously evolved. 

In an interview with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), Raquel explained that the Assembly for Road Safety brought significant growth and visibility to YOURS, which then led to the creation of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety. Her position later changed to Programme Manager in July 2020.  

The organization kept expanding its portfolio following the COVID-19 pandemic, and Raquel was later appointed Projects Director—where she oversaw all of YOURS’ projects for close to two years. 

“In a short period of time, I had the opportunity to understand the organization from small details and operational tasks to the big picture and long-term strategy, which supported my growth within the organization,” Raquel Barrios said. 

When asked about her vision moving forward as YOURS’ Executive Director, she said she believes this is a suitable time for the organization to redirect more resources and strategies towards local and regional levels. According to Raquel, real change can take place regarding safe and sustainable mobility within those contexts. 

“Young leaders need support, guidance and backup to continue impacting their communities. Another important step going forward would be to continue incorporating youth experiences and interests in our work, such as technology, urbanism, inclusive mobility and modal shift,” she added. 

In May 2023, Raquel attended the Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported Global Road Safety Leadership Course (GRSLC) coordinated by the GRSP and Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU). The course’s aim is to aid professionals in the design, advocacy and implementation of evidence-based road safety programmes and policies.  

The suite of GRSLC courses has been delivered a total of 13 times around the world, with over 800 participants in attendance from more than 65 countries. 

“I joined the GRSLC in May 2023, and it came right on time. It was a perfect immersion experience into road safety that supported my preparation to take the reins of YOURS as Executive Director starting June 2023. With the acquired knowledge, I feel more confident and prepared to bring a different, up-to-date perspective to YOURS to continue supporting and impacting younger generations,” she explained. 

Raquel added that the course exposed her to in-depth road safety knowledge that covered important elements through a 360-degree lens. The speakers and attendees, she emphasized, represented multidisciplinary perspectives and action fields within road safety that allowed her to understand the importance of reinforcing YOURS’ collaboration with other partners and organizations. 

Mexican Red Cross Acknowledges Organizations on a Journey for Safer Vehicles

With the aim of celebrating organizations willing to go the extra mile in giving a priority to vehicle safety, the Mexican Red Cross (MRC)—with support from the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP)—launched its first call for the Mexican Red Cross Awards for Vehicle Safety in Mexico in February 2023, as part of the Agreement for Safer Fleets in Mexico. 

The MRC invited the private and public Mexican sectors to participate with fleets composed of a minimum of 10 light commercial vehicles. At least 50 per cent of the vehicles within each fleet must follow the United Nations’ (UN) light commercial vehicle safety recommendations.  

Alternatively, the fleet can also be integrated by vehicles rating four or five stars in line with the New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean’s (Latin NCAP) evaluations, according to their 2020 and most recent protocols. 

Vehicle Safety Project Coordinator for the MRC, Jimena Camacho, explained that the project was put together to contribute to the UN and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. The plan’s goal is to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.  

Moreover, the project is a response to the UN’s ‘Improving global road safety’ 74/299 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 31 August 2020. The item calls for the strengthening of multisectoral alliances—including National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies—in support of road safety efforts.   

The winners will be classified into three categories: gold, silver and bronze. 

• Gold: at least 85 per cent of safer vehicles 
• Silver: between 70 per cent and 85 per cent of safer vehicles
• Bronze: between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of safer vehicles 

They will be recognized by the MRC during a ceremony on 17 October 2023, and will be given a certificate, a statuette with the MRC emblem, and the right for their fleets to bear a sticker referring to the award they obtained. Additionally, an ‘Agent of Change for Road Safety’ award will be given to people or organizations from any country that have a recognized road safety trajectory with a focus on vehicle safety.  

The winners will be determined by a jury composed of the MRC, the GRSP, Latin NCAP, El Poder del Consumidor and Refleacciona.  

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) played a key role in the development and evolution of the project. Other stakeholders, including the Mexican Association of Automotive Fleet Managers (AMAFA) and the Mexican Association of Mobility Authorities (AMAM), contributed greatly as well. 

“I think a phrase that can summarize the project’s narrative is, as we always say: We want our Mexican Red Cross’ ambulance sirens to stop blaring due to road crashes,” said Jimena Camacho regarding the project.  

Jimena is a proud Global Road Safety Leadership Course (GRSLC) alumna. She completed the course in May 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland, where she learned shoulder-to-shoulder with other road safety professionals from different nationalities. 

“The GRSLC was one of the most useful, enriching and beautiful experiences of my life. I was very familiar with the Safe System approach, but the course strengthened my knowledge. The speakers were able to truly instill it in my mind, I remember it every day,” she stated. 

The knowledge and experience she obtained from the course, she said, helped her explain road safety as a systemic problem to the MRC’s stakeholders, allies and audience. This, in turn, makes it easier to pull and motivate more organizations to get involved.  

BIGRS Partners in Kuala Lumpur Visit MIROS’ Provisional CRASE Crash Centre

On 11 August 2023, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) extended an invitation to the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) team based in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, along with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) embedded team, to tour their Provisional CRASE (Crash Safety Engineering Unit) Crash Centre (PC3) located in the city of Malacca. 

During the tour, the teams witnessed a side impact crash test at 50 km/hr. For many, it was both their first time visiting the MIROS PC3 facility and witnessing a crash test.  

The BIGRS KL embedded team was represented by Initiative Coordinator, Yasmin Lane; Enforcement Coordinator, Ramasamy; Communications Officer, Yee San Mun; and Transport Coordinator, Nur Nadzirah Roslan. 

GRSP presents a token of appreciation for the tour

Recognized by the ASEAN NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries), MIROS PC3 is the first vehicle collision laboratory built in Southeast Asia and celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2022. Situated within the Road Transport Department’s Academy, MIROS’ crash laboratory plays an important role in the testing of passenger vehicles through the Asean NCAP.  

GRSP extends its gratitude for the warm hospitality and graciousness of MIROS in welcoming our colleagues to their facility. Both the GRSP and the BIGRS KL teams were able to use the opportunity to strengthen their partnership as implementing partners, and further build relations with MIROS, the Road Transport Department (JPJ), and the Royal Police of Malaysia who had representatives present at the event as well.